Truth Shall Set You Free
by Blue Teller
Summary: Izuku's quirk is a mutation unlike anything his parents have. Still, everybody keeps telling him to become a detective or a police officer – after all, how can you be a hero without a combat ability? But Izuku knows exactly what he wants to be... even if his quirk only allows him to hear the truth.


**Truth Shall Set You Free**

* * *

Here's a sad truth: people lied. A lot.

"Fear not Citizens! Hope has arrived! **Because I am here!**"

But, All Might never spoke a single lie on TV. Izuku had checked.

It started when he was four. His mom was serving dinner, and said:

"Look at you, so small and adorable."

"Mom! I am a big boy," Izuku complained with a pout. She gave him a confused look.

"That's what I said, honey. You're so big and grown up."

"Na-uh. You said I'm small and adorable," the little boy told her.

It was the beginning of a long string of misunderstandings. It took them a couple of weeks to figure out what was wrong. People spoke one thing, but Izuku insisted they said something completely different. It worried Inko, since her son wasn't the type to lie. Eventually, they came to the only logical conclusion:

"I think it's because of a quirk, honey!"

"You think so, mom?"

"Why don't we try? Ask me to say something we both know isn't true. I'll repeat it, and we'll see what you hear."

Izuku thought for a moment. "I don't like katsudon."

"You love katsudon."

"Yeah, that's why it's a good lie," Izuku explained. "Because it's my favorite!"

"Izuku, I already repeated it."

The boy blinked in surprise. "You did?"

"Yes, what did you hear?"

"You said I love katsudon."

Inko smiled. "There, see? Instead of the lie, you heard the truth. You have a truth-hearing quirk, sweetheart."

"My quirk...? I-I have a quirk!" Little Izuku cheered, not yet aware of the consequences his ability would forever have on his life.

The biggest problem with this quirk was that it couldn't be turned off. Some quirks were like that - like heteromorphic types. In his case, it meant that if someone was lying, Izuku wouldn't just hear the truth – he couldn't hear the _lie_, either. Not only was he accidentally invading the privacy of unaware people, he even had trouble having regular conversations.

"Hm, that's the worst brand in the whole store," a cashier said casually.

"U-uh, sorry, w-what did you say?" Izuku asked meekly.

"I said good choice. You alright, kid?"

"S-sorry, I don't think I was s-supposed to buy this one, actually. Do you mind if I...?"

"Sure, no problem."

Fortunately, asking someone to repeat themselves allowed him to hear what they _actually_ said to him, since technically it was telling the truth. He was usually pretty good at spotting if his quirk was at work – since the lips movements didn't match with what his ears were telling him.

"We won't see each other later," a classmate told him with a smile.

Izuku forced himself to smile back. "Y-yeah... See you later!"

There were exceptions to Izuku's Truth-Hearing, he discovered. First singing – or reciting poetry. It was similar with fictional story-telling, unless someone embellished details or changed it on purpose; then his quirk was quick to catch up and correct them. It allowed him to enjoy TV, for which he was immensely grateful.

Computer generated words weren't affected either, since Truth-Hearing only worked on humans - however, it still worked on regular recordings, no matter how old or their quality. Which was a real shame, because that meant Izuku had a difficulty watching news. TV shows with actors were fine. However as it turns out, reporters lie _a lot_. The news were good if they were reporting something happening live, but as soon as they starting reporting scandals or anything else – Izuku could tell they were making things up, and it was unbearable.

"Is Midnight dating someone? Tonight we're gossiping to gain more views-"

"This charity event will definitely waste your money, so please attend!"

"We're trying to convince you that Present Mic dyes! This evidence is fake but we hope you believe it-"

"All Might saved the day again!"

Izuku's attention was caught immediately.

All Might. The Number One Hero, and Izuku's idol. The Symbol of Peace was the only person he never heard utter a single lie. And there could be only one possible explanation – that he meant everything he said.

"Fear not Citizens! Hope has arrived! **Because I am here!**"

Was All Might vain that he believed his own catch-phrase? No, Izuku figured out quickly, it wasn't that. It wasn't just that All Might thought highly of himself to believe he would save everyone. The hero meant everything he said, because he had the will and the power to turn his words into reality. He never lied, because he would never allow his own promises to be in vain.

It didn't mean All Might never hid anything. There were times were his quirk could pick up on people's secrets. The general rules was: the stronger the lie, the bigger his quirk's reaction. But his Truth-Hearing didn't work if someone simply omitted something. If it was a lie by omission, then it was a different story. All Might omitted a lot of things – especially about his own quirk – and yet Izuku's quirk hardly ever reacted. Even then, it weren't even lies, merely unfinished answers – which he knew because he was always watching with subtitles, originally intended for deaf viewers.

One of the things his quirk couldn't work on, it was written word. Which was one of the reasons why Izuku loved reading so much. He also picked up sign language, because not only it could be useful for being a hero, but because that language was immune to his quirk as well. At times, he almost wished his mother spoke in sign language to him... because there were some things he knew he was never supposed to hear.

"Mom, when is dad coming home?"

His mother tried to smile at him, tears in her eyes. "I don't think he is coming back," she said, her lips forming different words.

Izuku felt his eyes water. "What did you just say, mom...?"

Inko covered her eyes in shame. "I said I don't know. But you heard something different, didn't you?"

Izuku cried, hugging her tightly. His mother knew his quirk, so she tried very hard to never lie to him. But sometimes, she couldn't help but slip up.

"Are you okay, mom?"

"I'm not, but I don't want you to worry."

"Mom, repeat, please?"

"I said I'm alright... I'm so sorry, Izuku..."

"It's okay mom... it's okay..."

Izuku's quirk had very unfortunate consequences on his social life. Although he possessed a quirk, it was one that either people didn't know about – thus deeming him not-hero-material and worthless – or made them stay away from him.

Katsuki Bakugo's hatred towards Izuku began in pre-school. After an incident in a stream, Izuku noticed that Kacchan became much more irritable around him. He tried to ask what's wrong.

"Stop looking down on me!" Kacchan growled at him.

"But I don't!" Izuku said, lifting hands in defense.

"Yes you do! You keep following me around, and it's pissing me off, Deku!"

"But... I'm not following you because I look down on you," Izuku said, confused. "It's because you're really cool."

Kacchan froze, staring at him with a blank face.

"Deku... what did you hear me say?"

"You said me following you around makes you-"

"No, before that."

"You told me to stop looking down on you?"

The exploding boy frowned. "I told you to stop following me."

"Um..."

"You used your quirk on me, didn't you!"

"I didn't use it on purpose! It just... it's just..."

"You **always** hear what people mean, don't you?" There was something very harsh about his expression. "You can't even turn it off!"

"I-I'm sorry, Kacchan, I didn't mean to-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Katsuki leaned towards him with a mean scowl. "Listen up, Deku. I don't want you to keep following me. I don't want you to stalk me. I don't want you to even look at me. Got it? Leave me alone, you damn nerd!"

And from that moment on, he did his best to ignore Izuku's entire existence. He rarely spoke to him, and he never responded to him; not even when he stood up to him from bullying other kids. Izuku wanted to ask for a reason, an explanation for what went wrong between them – but he couldn't. Not after Kacchan straight up told him to leave him alone, and his quirk confirmed it was nothing but pure truth. Izuku lost his best friend, and it would be years before he would understand why.

After Bakugo set the example of despising Izuku's guts, their classmates followed suit. Rumors completely misconstructed what his actual quirk was, everyone thought Izuku was some kind of mind-reader, sneaking up on their private thoughts. Needless to say, he wasn't popular for it.

"_Oooh_, look, it's Midoriya! Careful, don't talk to him – or he'll break into your head and learn your secrets!"

"I heard he read the answers for the last tests from the teacher's mind, that's why he had such a high score."

"Stupid _cheater_!"

"Ya think he peeks on the girls' minds too? What a perv!"

"I bet he already knows our lockers combination. Let's hope he doesn't steal our stuff."

"That guy wants to be a hero? He's more likely to be a villain with a quirk like this!"

He wanted to tell them that his quirk wasn't like that. It couldn't read minds, it only told him the true meaning behind what the person was saying. It wasn't his fault people lied – and it wasn't his fault he heard the truth they didn't want him to hear. He didn't ask for this.

It wasn't the accusations that cut him the most though... it was how everyone he ever talked to dismissed his dream. Even his mom.

"Izuku, honey... You could be a brilliant detective, you know? Help people in a different way?"

"But... I want to save people with a smile, like All Might..." Izuku pleaded.

"I know, sweetie, but... Truth-Hearing just isn't... suited for hero work, you know? You just have the wrong quirk for it."

He heard it over and over again – wrong quirk. _Wrong quirk. __**Wrong quirk.**_

But Izuku studied. Analyzed. Tried to figure out if there was any combat potential for his quirk. Aside from interrogations, he could use it for distractions, maybe even predict his opponent's moves... He picked up lip-reading too, to be able to figure out the difference between what he was hearing and what people were actually saying out loud.

_(Have a nice day, sir.)_

"I hope you trip and fall, jerk."

_(Your hair looks nice.)_

"Your hair looks like you haven't slept all night."

_(I really hate that guy!)_

"I hate that I think he's attractive!"

_(I'm sure I'll make it in time to work.)_

"I think I'll be late for work."

It wasn't just that he picked up on lies – his quirk focused on conveying the true intentions. When someone was trying to be misleading, his quirk added to it sometimes. In other words – it also worked on good-intended, white lies. Through his research Izuku realized that as far as truth-telling quirks went, his was rather special in that regard.

_(This is the best thing I ate all week.)_

"This is the best thing I ate all week, which doesn't mean much."

_(It sounds... interesting.)_

"It sounds... interesting, in a bad way."

_(...so, when does your shift end?)_

"...so, when are you going to be alone?"

Izuku stopped, couldn't help but listen in.

He knew he shouldn't eavesdrop. It wasn't right. But he couldn't just ignore it, when-

"My shift ends at five. I guess we could hang out, if you want," a woman say, her casual words in stark contrast to what Izuku heard from the man.

Izuku pulled out his phone, pretending to be texting.

_(Sounds great. I'll see you then.)_

"Sounds great. I'll have my way with you then."

"See you!"

Discreetly, Izuku took a photo of the man before he left. That day, quarter after five, a man was arrested for attempted rape near a coffee shop, thanks to an anonymous tip given to the police.

Izuku had been to the police station a couple of times in the past. There were some talks about illegal quirk usage, but in the end, detective Naomasa Tsukauchi helped clearing him of all charges, stating that Izuku's Truth-Hearing was of a passive nature and he couldn't even realize he was using it when he was reporting criminal intent. It was all technically true – except Izuku knew by now when his quirk was at work, so it was only by the detective's mercy that he never got trouble for it in the end.

"Listen, Midoriya..." Tsukauchi told him once again with a heavy sigh. "I understand you were just doing the right thing... but you have to be careful, alright? If you had posted the picture on the internet, or sent it to any of your friends, there could have been bad consequences for you."

Luckily, Izuku didn't have any friends. Not that the detective knew that.

"I know... I only took it just in case, I w-wasn't going to post it anywhere."

"Good. Seriously though, you did good. You'd make an amazing officer, Midoriya."

Izuku looked down. "Thank you, sir. But, I want t-to be a hero."

"You sure? You could still help people like this, you know. Think about the woman you saved today. I heard she's very grateful."

The boy clenched his fists. In a bout of frustration, he looked up and asked:

"Detective Tsukauchi... do you think I could be a hero?"

The man looked him in the eye. He didn't speak for a moment, and then...

_(I'm not sure.)_

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so."

"Right..." Izuku looked away, trying not to tear up.

"It's not so easy, with quirks like ours," Naomasa continues, and whether he was aware that Izuku's quirk had picked up his doubt or not, the boy didn't know. "Villains have all kinds of dangerous abilities that makes countering them almost impossible without an ace in your own sleeve. We simply aren't predisposed for fighting in the front lines. But, that itself isn't such a terrible thing – it is a different kind of burden." The officer stood up. "It might be disappointing at first, true... but you're a smart kid. I'm sure you'll find the place you are needed the most, even if it's not where you imagined it'd be."

"R-right." Izuku discreetly wiped his eyes, walking out the door with a hunched back and another bruise on his spirit.

No matter how kindly the detective tried to phrase it, it was still the same answer.

"You can't be a hero, Deku!"

It was _always_ the _same answer._

"That guy wants to be a hero?"

Over and **over**-

"Midoriya? No way, I mean, come on."

-no one told him.

"With his quirk, he should be a police officer."

Not mom, not Kacchan, not detective Tsukauchi...

"You mean, more like a villain! Am I right?"

Wrong quirk, _wrong quirk_, it was always the **wrong quirk.**

* * *

Until, one day in June.

* * *

The day started in a rather unpleasant way – Kacchan blew up his notebook and threw it outside the window.

"Listen up, Deku. You will never be a hero, got it? So don't even try."

Bakugo's gang laughed as they exited the classroom.

_(You should take a swan dive off a roof, while you're at it. Maybe you'll be reborn with a better quirk.)_

"You should disappear and leave me alone. Your quirk pisses me off."

Izuku's throat tightened as he forcefully held in the protest. Kacchan didn't mean that – he was just angry. Still, even taking into account that Izuku knew he was lying – what was he thinking? If Izuku jumped, Kacchan would be accused of instigating suicide!

Did Kacchan know he would hear something different so it didn't matter? No, wait – did Kacchan even _know_ he could read lips?

But all thoughts about Kacchan were forgotten, once a sludge monster appeared.

_Is this it? Am I... dying? Please, anyone... **help!**_

"Have no fear, you're safe – now that **I am here!**"

Izuku Midoriya was saved by All Might, his greatest hero.

"Sorry young man, but I am in a hurry!"

His quirk didn't react – meaning it wasn't an excuse and All Might probably had somewhere important to be – but. He had to... He _needed_ to talk to him!

Izuku grabbed onto his leg as the hero jumped into the air. A foolish thing to do in retrospect, but he could hardly regret it.

On a rooftop, face to face with his idol, he asked the question every adult and peer in his life had shot down.

"Do you think... that someone with a passive quirk can be a hero like you?!"

All Might turned around slightly. "A passive quirk?"

"I can only tell when people are lying..." A simplification, but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Izuku fidgeted, looking down at his feet in embarrassment. "Everyone keeps telling me a should be a police officer. But I- I want to be hero, who saves people with a smile." He gathered his courage and looked up. "Just like y-"

Where All Might stood a moment ago, stood a skeleton man with a wild mane of blond hair.

"_**AAAAAAH!**_"

"Calm down, kid!"

"W-where... _where did All Might go?!_ You can't be him – an **impostor****!**"

"I assure you that I am All Mi- _bleh_." The man spat out blood.

"_This can't be reeeeal!_" Izuku screamed.

And so, Izuku learned about All Might's real state. About the fight that left him without a stomach and only enough energy to be a hero up to three hours a day. To say he was shocked would be an understatement.

"Heroes are always risking their lives," All Might told him seriously, his usual bright smile nowhere to be seen. "So no, I can't simply tell you 'You can become a hero with a passive quirk'."

His quirk never reacted. Not once, since meeting All Might. And Izuku's spirit was shattered.

"I- I see…" he whispered shakily.

"I have a friend with a quirk similar to yours. He's an amazing detective, and saves a lot of people through his job. The police get less glory than the heroes for catching villains, but it's still a fine profession." All Might stopped for a second before the door. "It's not... wrong to have dreams, young man. You simply need to keep them realistic."

Wrong quirk, _wrong quirk, __**wrong quirk, wrong q u **__**i**__** r k-**_

The words rang in his ears as he blindly walked through the city.

_You knew all along, didn't you? Even your quirk kept telling you the truth. You can't be a hero. Not with a quirk like that._

_I wish I had any other quirk than this._

But just as despair was about to consume him... he saw the sludge monster's rampage.

_What? Why is he out there? Didn't All Might catch him? Wait... the bottles, did he... drop them? That means... It's **my fault!**_

"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?"

"I heard All Might is in town!"

"He is? No way! Why isn't he there helping the heroes?"

Then he saw who the villain had in his grasp. Kacchan's eyes begged for help. Izuku's body moved on his own.

Next thing he knew, All Might saved him the second time that day.

"Even though I scolded you... I see now I wasn't living up to my own ideals! **DETROOOOIT... SMAAAAAASH!**"

All Might changed the weather and saved the day, incredible as always. Izuku was scolded by the heroes for recklessly running in. All Might was swarmed by the reporters, so he couldn't approach him to apologize for causing trouble.

As Izuku contemplated how to deal with the loss of his dream, and wondered how he should go about becoming a detective like everyone said... Kacchan suddenly caught up to him.

He looked rather distraught. And... angry. Not that was anything new. However, the fact that Kacchan decided to speak to him surprised Izuku a lot.

_(Listen, Deku, I never asked for your help!)_

"Listen, Deku, I never wanted you to get involved!" Kacchan screamed, but reading his lips was effortless.

_(I was fine by myself! You're just a **weakling** loser! You didn't help me!)_

"I hate that you saw me helpless! I can't be **weaker** than you! Don't you dare look down on me!"

Izuku stared in shock.

_(You did **nothing**! Don't forget it!)_

"Why did **you** have to be the one! Forget it!"

Kacchan was slightly shaking.

_(I **don't** owe you anything!)_

"I **won't** owe you anything!" And at last, Kacchan reached his limit, because he turned around and walked away with a scream: "_You damn nerd!_"

It's been a while since Kacchan had spoken this much to him. Aside from that morning, they had barely exchanged a couple of sentenced in the past month. That was an entire rant.

And oh boy, was it enlightening. Izuku was stunned.

All that time… Kacchan had been scared of _him_ – of his quirk. And he never wanted Izuku to know.

Because as tough and stubborn Bakugo was on the outside, there was a part of him that felt insecure, which he absolutely refused to bare for other people to see. He hated being vulnerable. He hated being seen as **weak**.

And what he hated most wasn't Izuku himself – it was Izuku's ability to see that weakness.

It explained everything. Why Kacchan avoided speaking to him. Why he broke their friendship years ago.

"Kacchan..." Izuku whispered, helplessly.

How the hell could he fix this?

"**I AM HERE!**" All Might suddenly appeared, nearly giving Izuku a heart attack.

The hero then proceeded to tell him something even more shocking than Kacchan's reveal of feelings – that Izuku truly accomplished something meaningful that day.

"When I saw a timid boy, with no combat quirk to help him, running in to save a life regardless of danger... it inspired me to act too."

Izuku stared at All Might's face. He wasn't lying.

"Great heroes all have stories from their early days. Those stories have on thing in common - their bodies moved before they had a chance to think." The Symbol of Peace stood before him covered in golden glow of the sunset, like a figure from a dream too good to be true. "And today... that happened to you, didn't it?"

And then he felt it. He felt his spirit... mend. His eyes filled with tears, and he had to grab at his chest because his heart ached and his lungs had trouble filling with air, but- but. He couldn't look away. Because he needed to see... he needed to know...

"You... can become a hero."

His words fit. All Might never lied to him.

And Izuku wept.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So, there are a lot of quirk!Izuku AUs out there. Some more interesting than others. In some versions he still gets One For All, while in some he doesn't, because his quirk turns out to be OP anyway. But I liked this idea. It allows Izuku to see the world in an even harsher light. Why I had All Might never lying though? Isn't it unrealistic for someone to never lie? Especially in public?**

**My answer is: because 1) I felt it was in-character. ****All Might is an absolutely ****a****trocious**** liar**** – ****just like Izuku**** – ****so whenever he actually does lie (like to cover up his identity) you honestly don't even need a quirk to pick up on that. Like, the only half-decent lie by omission he ever told was to Bakugo when he was asked what Deku was to him. I doubt a similar moment would even be caught on TV, so of course Izuku ****wouldn't**** see it. 2) As a hero, All Might truly believes what he says while he's "in-character" - even when he ****exaggerates**** a lot for the sake of comedy. Also, I really dislike All Might bashing**** – ****I've seen it in some quirk!Izuku stories, as well as AUs where Izuku becomes a villain. The thing is, All Might was wrong to tell Izuku he couldn't be a hero without a quirk**** – ****t****here are plenty of heroes with non-combat quirks, ****he****m****ust**** be aware of t****hem****. ****A****nd I believe he would have realized ****it****on his own, ****eventually. ****E****ven without seeing Izuku run into danger.**

**Let me explain:**

**All Might was truly at a dark place when he met Izuku. It wasn't that he had forgotten he used to be quirkless himself**** – ****rather, he was facing the reality that was ****b****ecoming**** quirkless**** once more, and the hopelessness of it was wearing him down. He was constantly in pain from aggravating his injury and coughing up blood, One For All was slowly fading, he had barely a year before the ****time-frame**** of Nighteye's vision would arrive and he would have to give up ****his power completely**** before he would die "an ****unspeakably**** gruesome death". ****In other words: ****All Might ****felt powerless ****and ****d****epressed****. Izuku was quirkless, and thus could probably understand where a part of that powerlessness was coming from, so he couldn't lie and say he had any hope of staying a hero himself, once he loses One For All.**

**As a flawed human being experiencing a moment of weakness, Toshinori made a mistake. And he ****had the humility to ****openly admit ****that he was wrong****, once Izuku inspired him to push past his limit.**

**I also think that as cruel it was of All Might, to at first destroy Izuku's dream, it's important to notice that he told him the ****t****ruth****. It was the wrong one, sure, but All Might didn't lie. And I thought it was a very significant first step in their relationship**** – ****he could have offered some empty "Anyone can do it!" platitudes and left, but he didn't. He cared enough be up-front, even telling him about the injury so Izuku would realize the seriousness of the situation. It wasn't an act of apathy**** – ****it was an act of caring. And it was that m****oment**** that inspired me to write this story****.**

**I might add a bonus chapter in the future, because the premise of Izuku always knowing the truth has a lot of ****potential**** i****n a lot of interactions, further in the**** cannon. Oh, the possibilities... (rubs hands in an Evil Mastermind Manner)**

**Thank you so much for reading, please leave a comment – I'd love to hear your thoughts, follow if you'd like, maybe add to your favorites if you can, but most importantly – read on and enjoy! :)**


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